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Time To Bend At The Knees

It is time now to take cognizance of what we have done to our Earth planet. She is still here to give us breath, polluted though it may be in some areas. She challenges us with sparse watering. She allows us to live as best as our livelihood does. She continues to love us with passion. But what we have done to her is abominable. We take advantage of our good resources and give nothing back most of the time. A few steps to the recycle bin oftentimes seems too far to walk. But she keeps on teaching in spite, despite our obliqueness.

Yet we are asked once a year to honor her. And hopefully this once a year will be enough to embarrass us, make us feel guilty, so guilty that we will change our ways and give honor to her who has been our grounding, our bed of rest and the best classroom in the universe. How else to honor this lady, this teacher, this mother? We must find new ways if we are to continue in this classroom where to have an idea is to make it manifest as fast as we can collect the materials. There is no other place so conducive to easy learning as this classroom. No other place that accommodates us to the degree that our Earth Mother does. We will chance it every time we decide that next time we will do better. The next time the neighborhood may not be quite as nice.

We are in a crucial junction. We are where we are because we have neglected our stewardship when we contracted to care for this place we inherited. What to do? How much do we treasure the early morning with the dawn rising clearly and with punctuality? How much do we treasure our love of evenings when the sky darkens and the moon sources our light? As we reach for our Other and hope that what we wish for ourselves is also wished for Others. How much would we treasure rainfalls on cracked ground; foodstuffs now rising in price so that milk for our youngsters is too steep for good health? We treasure our way of life. We treasure what is ours and we hope that our progeny will be able to be inspired by the same sun and moon and waters of this green planet.

We must begin. Our environmentalists have told us time and again what we must do. Somehow we cannot wrap ourselves around the idea that this Earth cannot sustain life as we know it. We already see Nature’s harsh lessons. If we are ugly when the weather does not suit us, let us be aware that Nature too reviles our habits when we do not honor her. It is long past the time to change. The bill is overdue and time now to bend at the knees to this Great Mother.

photo by John Holmes

About Veronica Hallissey

Veronica Hallissey has been writing since the 1960s, with her poetry published in a variety of small press magazines. Born into a farm family in Lockport, NY, and educated at the University of Buffalo and other midwest institutions, she brings and unusual point-of-view to her poetry, combining strong natural images with a deep spiritual language. She lives in Lake Forest, CA.